Nipon Goswami, a veteran actor who was the reel grandfather of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s only film, passed away at a private hospital in Guwahati Thursday morning. He was 80.
Members of his family said Goswami, a matinee idol in the 1970s and 1980s, was suffering from a prolonged heart-related ailment. He was admitted to the hospital on October 24 and was kept under observation at the intensive care unit.
A contemporary of actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, director Subhash Ghai and actor Navin Nischol at Pune’s Film and Television of India (FTII), Goswami made his debut in the Assamese film industry as a child artist in the movie ‘Piyoli Phukan’ in 1957.
The stint at the FTII helped him steal a march over other lead actors in the Assamese film industry more than a decade later. Sangram, his first film as the lead actor was a hit. His second film two years later, Dr Bezbaruah, made him a star.
The stardom sustained him through 46 Assamese films, the last of which was in 2018. These included blockbusters and critically acclaimed films such as Mukuta, Maanab aru Daanab, Sandhyarag, Ajoli Nabou, Aparupa and Ghar Sangsar and Shakuntala Aru Sankar Joseph Ali.
Among his popular films was Kokadeuta Nati aru Hati (Grandfather, Grandson and Elephant), a feel-good movie released during the peak of the violent Assam Agitation in 1983. He played the grandfather while Assam’s Chief Minister played the grandson.
Goswami was also a popular theatre artist and had cameos in a few Hindi movies. They included Do Bhai, a Jeetendra-starrer and Do Anjaane, whose lead actor was Amitabh Bachchan.
“I was fortunate to have worked with him in a film. Assam and the Assamese film industry has lost a gem,” the Chief Minister said in a condolence message.
“The polestar of Assamese cinema is no more…. A star since the 1960s, Nipon da had captivated the hearts of audience and his death brings an end to a golden era,” tweeted the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal.
